Elat Yriaf
by delirium2
Summary: A girl's adventures after an interesting rescue
1. A rescue

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
She awoke to the sounds of birds singing. It was very nice, but she couldn't quite understand why she seemed to be lying on grass in the dark. Then she opened her eyes, and realized that it was, in fact, quite bright out, and that she was lying on grass. In the middle of a forest, actually. With a babbling brook, flowers, birds (of course), and someone sitting about a foot away, watching her.  
  
"Wha- Where am I?" she asked groggily, sitting up a bit.  
  
"You are awake!" said the someone who appeared to be male and carrying a sword. "I was afraid that you would be asleep forever. And that would have been a horrible thing."  
  
"Do I know you?" She was beginning to wake up a bit more.  
  
"Well, not really. But I've just rescued you! It was my first quest!"  
  
She searched her memory, trying to recall this. "Rescued me from what, exactly?'  
  
"Well, you were waiting alone on the road-" she did remember this "- and I was coming down the road, looking for an adventure, and I saw you, and then there was the scary looking man coming the other way, and you looked nervous, so I pushed you out of the way and challenged him. You must have fainted."  
  
She thought that she had probably hit her head on a rock when he pushed her, but that was fairly minor compared to what she was about to do to this apprentice knight. "You idiot! That was my employer! How old are you, 15!? They shouldn't let you out of palace grounds by yourself!" She started taking deep breaths. "You challenged him? What did he do?" Why are you still alive?  
  
"Well, he started to call up blue fire, so I pulled you onto my horse and, um, ran into the forest." The boy smiled sheepishly.  
  
"Great. Well, at least he should realize it wasn't my fault." She got up and started walking away.  
  
"Hey! Where are you going? I rescued you! You owe me something!"  
  
"I'll give you some advice. Don't go rescuing random women. Make sure they want to be rescued first!" She continued walking.  
  
"Will I be able to find you again?"  
  
"No!"  
  
"Well, if you want to find me, my name is Quentin... Sir Quentin!"  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
A/N: k, I have no idea when this will be updated, it has no plot yet (it may never have a plot), but hopefully something will happen in the story, or I'll become divinely inspired or something. However, I'm not going to have a lot of time for the next few weeks… Please review!  
  
  
  
Ideas:  
  
Girl- Felicia, shield painter (coats of arms)  
  
Employer- evil- Marquis de Carabas!  
  
Quentin- good kid, semi obsessive  
  
Lover: the marquis's brother who was left with either the mill or the house, and is jealous?  
  
Felicia is hired (and found by Q.) needs to get magical pwrs, is kidnapped by e. and rescued by Q. and lover but Q eventually finds someone else.  
  
The marquis was evil, but the cat didn't realize it till later. 


	2. the Marquis de Carabas

Chapter Two  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
The girl, whose name happened to be Felicia, ran through the forest in what she hoped was the direction of the road. She had finally gotten work, for the first time in almost a year, and her employer-to-be watched her get carried off by a beginner knight. Felicia was a coat-of-arms artist, meaning she created and/or painted the coats-of-arms on shields and banners for the noble families. She had begun training in her art when she was 12, and it had taken her three years to become qualified and a member of the Guild. Work had been pretty steady for over a year, but lately no one seemed to need her services- or they chose someone else. But she had finally gotten a call, from someone who had apparently received a new title recently. Oddly enough, the request had been to meet him at the side of the road, near the forest, across from the red windmill. He would be carrying a white cat, and he was the new Marquis de Carabas.  
  
Through the trees, Felicia spotted the red windmill, and next to it, a man in black holding a white cat. She slowed down, thinking that it was probably better to look calm and composed while greeting the Marquis than to be flustered. She slowly stepped out of the trees onto the sunlit road.  
  
"Ah. You must be Felicia," the man said. He was fairly young, perhaps mid-20s, with dark hair and a handsome face.  
  
"Ah. You must be the Marquis the Carabas," Felicia replied. The man smiled and nodded. "I apologize for what happened. That boy… I really have no idea who he is, but really-"  
  
"I understand completely. After all, one cannot help one's suitors."  
  
"Oh, no. He's not a suitor or anything. He's just crazy."  
  
The marquis laughed. "Well, I hope you are able to begin your job immediately. I am newly come to the nobility, you see, and I need a crest most desperately."  
  
"I can begin right away."  
  
"Good. Follow me to my castle, then."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
The castle of the Marquis de Carabas was in the middle of beautiful fields and about a mile outside of a gorgeous town, but the castle itself was rather dark. The marquis explained that he had only moved in recently, and he had not yet changed the décor from that of the previous inhabitant. However, Felicia was given a rather nice room in which to live and work while she was there. A few minutes after being shown to her room, she was called down to confer with the marquis.  
  
"I hope your rooms are to your liking," the marquis said as she came into his sitting room.  
  
"Oh yes, they're quite nice." Felicia replied, politely.  
  
"I'm quite excited about this crest. I need it to be something special… something intense. Please sit."  
  
"Ok," Felicia said, sitting down in a big poufy armchair. "Are there any symbols or family emblems that you wish to include?"  
  
"Well… I'm not certain what one would include."  
  
"A part of your family history perhaps? Or an animal that has a particular importance to you?"  
  
"Then… a cat. A white cat. Specifically this white cat." The marquis reached down and picked up the cat he had been carrying that afternoon on the road (it had just been lying on the floor). Felicia wrote this down, and then looked up at the marquis.  
  
"Is there a reason you need that cat?" she asked.  
  
"I owe my entire fortune to this cat. It deserves a place on my shield." Felicia could sense a story behind this, but was too professional to ask about it. Instead, she said "Is there anything else? Any color for the background?"  
  
"I wish to have a sickle, three stars, and a black background." Felicia nodded, and thought for a moment, then drew a quick sketch. "Yes, I believe I can have a large sketch for you by tomorrow," she told him.  
  
"Very well," the marquis said. "You may return to your room. Dinner will be sent to you."  
  
Felicia returned to her room, and lay down on the bed. It had been an extremely strenuous day, between hitching rides to the meeting place, being "rescued" by 'Sir' Quentin, walking to the castle and beginning her work. Also, the bed was quite comfortable.  
  
The door creaked, and Felicia sat up quickly. The white cat strolled in. "Oh, it's only you, Puss. I was afraid it would be the marquis, or a maid or someone."  
  
The cat said, "The marquis is a jerk. I regret ever helping him." 


	3. is there a plot coming?

A/N: hi everyone (although I know almost nobody actually reads this story…) sorry it took so long to get this chapter up, I was having plot problems… I think they're solved.  
  
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Felicia stared at the cat. "Excuse me? Did you just speak?"  
  
"No, you're just hallucinating."  
  
"Oh. Well, that makes me feel-"  
  
"OF COURSE I SPOKE!" the cat looked slightly angry, and started muttering, "I've been waiting a full year for someone with even a particle of sense to come into this castle to help me, and just when I think 'Oh, here's a smart-looking girl' she turns out to be just as moronic as the rest of them…"  
  
"Hold it, hold it, hold it." Felicia bent down and picked up the white cat and placed him next to her on the bed. "First of all, how do you know how to talk?"  
  
"All cats know how to talk. Most just choose not to."  
  
This actually made sense to Felicia; she'd always suspected cats knew more then they let on. "Ok, second, what do you mean the marquis is a jerk? I mean, he said he owes his fortune to you. And if he's a jerk, why did you help him?"  
  
"Well, to make a long story not quite so long… The marquis used to be just a miller's son. When his father died, he left the house to his eldest son, his mill to his middle son, and me to his youngest son- the marquis. The youngest son was not happy with the way the will had gone, and was in fact about to kill me for food, when I made a bargain with him. If he would get me boots, a hat, and a coat, I would make him rich. And I tricked the king, and killed an ogre, and now the miller's youngest son is one of the richest men in the land. He was even going to marry the princess, but I think she turned him down. And then he took away my hat, coat, and boots, and made me live as a common house cat. Even my boots! And I don't know what's wrong with him, or why he's been acting so strangely…"  
  
"Well, what other strange things has he done? And how do u expect me to help you?"  
  
The cat began rubbing his head against her hand; obligingly, she scratched behind its ears. "He's always muttering under his breath, pacing around the castle… and a few days ago, I saw him go into the ogre's library and take out a huge book. I know that's a little vague, but he's a miller's son, he never had any use for books before."  
  
"Yes, but what can I do? I'm just a shield painter."  
  
At that moment, there was a knock at the door. "Come in," Felicia called (the cat gave her a dirty look).  
  
It was a maid. "Excuse me, miss, the master wishes you to dine with him."  
  
"Dine with him? I thought he said dinner would be sent up?"  
  
"I cannot say, miss." The maid, who was, after all, not much more than a child, looked nervous. "Perhaps he has changed his mind."  
  
"Very well. I will be down in a minute." The door closed behind the maid, and Felicia looked at the cat. "Are you staying here?"  
  
"Yes." The cat settled down into a patch of sunlight on the bed. "But that's what I mean about the strangeness. He never used to change his mind…"  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Felicia was sitting at the dining room table feeling bored and slightly uneasy. It had been a very silent meal. Suddenly, the marquis looked up at her and asked, "Do you know any magic?"  
  
Startled, Felicia looked up and replied, "Well, no, I mean, not really. I mean, I know a few protection spells, to put on crests and stuff, but other than that, no."  
  
"Oh." The marquis looked a bit disappointed. "Well… I suppose that will be all then. You may walk around Carabas tomorrow, if you wish, to get a better idea for the shield. I will expect a drawing by tomorrow evening. Good night."  
  
Knowing a dismissal when she heard one, Felicia curtseyed slightly and said, "Good night."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
When she got back to her room, the cat was nowhere to be seen. So, Felicia got ready for bed. However, just as she was preparing to go to sleep, she heard a voice outside her window. It sounded like the marquis, talking to someone.  
  
"But she doesn't know any magic. How can she be the one? Yes, I realize that, but you said- ok, yes but… I hadn't thought of that. Yes. That seems like a godd idea. To Elat Yriaf, then?"  
  
Elat Yriaf? But why would the marquis want to send her to the largest, most magical city in the land? Felicia couldn't make heads or tails of it, so she decided to simply roll over and go to sleep.  
  
A/N: so, what do u think? If u read it, review so I don't feel like I'm writing for no one, and maybe I'll actually have motivation to develop a real plot, k? 


	4. No...probably not...

A/N: I'm having so much fun writing author's notes. I think that will be the rest of my story. Or not. Not that it matters, cause no one reads this (except e. mouse who's my biggest fan) (if anyone would like to disabuse me of the notion that no one reads this they could review…).  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Felicia slept for several hours. In that time, she rolled over twice, made funny mumbling noises, snored a bit, and fell out of bed once (hey, that's what happens when you sleep in a strange bed). The cat watched in amusement.  
  
As the sun slipped over the mountains, our heroine awoke to the sight of a cat sticking its nose in her face and whispering, "Wake up…" She pushed him off the bed. He yowled. "Serves you right for sticking your fishy breath in my face." Felicia had smelled morning breath in her time, but nothing is worse than a cat after eating.  
  
"You have to get up," said the cat. "His Grand Master the Marquis wants you to have breakfast with him."  
  
"And he told you to tell me this?"  
  
"No, of course not. But I thought you might prefer to be awake and ready when the butler knocks."  
  
There was a knock at the door. Felicia gave the cat a dirty look. "Thanks for so much warning."  
  
The cat grinned in the way you would think only a Cheshire Cat can, but you'd be wrong, cause this cat can do it too. Sort of. Well, looking more cat-like. Ok, at the very least, it looked smug. "I try."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
The marquis looked up as Felicia walked into the dining room. "Good morning. Did you sleep well?"  
  
"Oh, yes. The bed was very…um…comfortable." Felicia sat down and began taking her breakfast.  
  
"I'm glad." The two ate in silence for a moment, then the marquis said, "I was thinking… I would like to have a magic spell as part of the shield. I realize that you do not know magic, so if you would agree, after the preliminary sketch is done, I would like you to travel to Elat Yriaf where I know an instructor who would teach you what you need to know. Would you be willing to do that?"  
  
Felicia stared at him for a moment. "Of course."  
  
"Very well then." The marquis smiled. "It is settled. You will leave tomorrow."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Felicia spent the whole day wandering about Carabas, looking at the town, the fields, and everything around it. By the end of the day, she had a preliminary sketch for the marquis, and was able to give it to him before dinner.  
  
The marquis looked at the drawing of a shield. "I like it."  
  
"Thank you. May I have dinner in my room so I may pack?"  
  
"Of course, of course." The marquis waved her away, still looking at the sketch. As Felicia slipped out the door, she saw him reach for a book on the table.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
The next morning, Felicia was up, packed, and ready to go by sunrise. The marquis was at the door, waiting for her. "I see you are ready. Here is the address of the instructor you are to meet."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"And please, take a horse from the stables. You can return it to me when you return."  
  
"Oh, no, I couldn't…"  
  
"Please. I insist. You will get there faster, and you won't need to be on the road at night."  
  
So Felicia went to the stables and picked out a brown horse, with a super shiny mane and dark black eyes. Its name was Bingweo.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Just as the marquis said, by the time the sun was beginning to set, Felicia was in Elat Yriaf. As it was the first time she had ever been in this particular city, she stopped just inside the city walls and looked around. There, on top of the hill, was the royal palace. The Priest Quarters were on the west side of the palace, the Warriors Barracks to the east. The market was a mile away from the south gate. And the magicians, wizards, witches, etc, were everywhere.  
  
Felicia could smell the foods being sold in the market, as well as the various people around her. There were regular townspeople returning to their homes (or leaving them) for the evening. Children were racing each other down the street. Every so often a nobleman or woman would ride by. The thieves were watching everyone warily, and the prostitutes and those who sold other, rare, usually illegal items, were beginning to come out. The sounds of wares being hawked, children being called, and trumpets could be heard, along with the ever present humming of magic.  
  
Felicia saw everything around her, looked down at Binky, and realized she was utterly lost.  
  
  
  
A/N: I realize this chapter jumps around a bit, but I thought it important to try to get to the plot, which will hopefully unfold more in the next chapter. 


	5. In which very little actually happens...

hA/N: I'm thrilled!!! There are actually some (not very many, but some) people who not only read and like my story, but reviewed as well!!! And I don't actually know them personally! Yay! Oh, apologies to e. mouse- I meant to keep it Bingweo, that Binky was just a typo. O well. Ok, so let's see what the characters decide to do it this chapter….  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Felicia took several deep calming breaths, which really did absolutely nothing at all. So, she resolutely told Bingweo to go, in the hopes that whichever way he chose would eventually lead to someplace.  
  
Naturally, this method failed completely. For one thing, Bingweo was a country horse, and was just as adjusted to the city as Felicia was. For another, it was virtually impossible to move in the crowd, even with a medium sized horse. Especially with a medium sized horse, because he was neither big enough to get people to move out of Felicia's way, nor small enough to slip easily through the crowd. Thus, Felicia was forced to get off the horse and lead him.  
  
And as they wandered further and further into the city, Felicia became more and more bewildered by the general insanity of city life. The fact that it was getting dark didn't help much either. For a little while, Felicia tried to figure out the names of the streets, or the placement of the buildings. At one point, she even tried following some one who looked like he knew where he was going, but that turned out to be a complete failure when it turned out he was simply searching for a place to relieve himself. Finally, Felicia remembered that she had a piece of paper with an address on it, and decided to ask somebody who looked like they were at least vaguely familiar with the city for directions.  
  
Felicia slowly walked out into the street, trying to catch someone's attention by looking vaguely lost. Suddenly, she felt a tap on the shoulder.  
  
"Excuse me," said the little man who had just tapped her. "Are you a poot?"  
  
"What?" Felicia was so confused already, and this just topped everything.  
  
"Never mind." And with that the little man wandered away.  
  
Weird, Felicia thought. And she walked up to the nearest person, and tapped him on the shoulder. "Excuse me, I'm lost. Could you- oh no, not you again."  
  
For the person whose shoulder she had just tapped was none other than Sir Quentin, the apprentice knight.  
  
"You!" Sir Quentin was overjoyed. "I thought I would never see you again. I mean, I thought your employer, and that you wouldn't, or that something had, what are you doing here?"  
  
Felicia almost smiled at Quentin's ramblings. "Getting lost. Since I had the vast misfortune of picking you, of all the people in this city, to ask for directions, could you tell me how to get to this address?" She held out the piece of paper the marquis had given her that morning.  
  
"I'll do better than that," said Sir Quentin, trying to be gentlemanly and knightly and failing miserably. "I'll take you there myself."  
  
"No! I mean, that's really not necessary, and all I need is a little help figuring out where I am, then-"  
  
"Nonsense. I won't take no for an answer." Sir Quentin smiled. "That your horse?" Felicia nodded. "Nice. Well, follow me." 


	6. I really like fun chapter titles

A/N: hi, sorry for the long wait. It's been busy busy busy around here. but school's almost over. thank god. O, just because I got so happy when two new people reviewed doesn't mean you can stop reviewing! Keep 'em coming, please! If only to make me very very happy. A/N: ok, school's been over for a couple weeks but I haven't been home to write.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
As Felicia walked into the little house, she wasn't sure whether to laugh or. do something else. The first thing she saw was that the house was not the neatest of houses, with spellbooks and ingredients all over the room. The second thing she saw was an elderly man with white hair and a white beard, looking as if he would seem very wise if he wasn't tied to a chair which was, in turn, hanging from the ceiling. "Hello," said the man. "Would you mind helping me down?" "Sure," Felicia replied, amused. As she helped him down from his incredibly tangled position, she noticed that the ropes sparked when she touched them, and once he was free, they vanished entirely. Obviously, this old man must be a great magician if his own magic could imprison him. Her thoughts were interrupted when the magician said, "Thank you very much for helping me, but who are you?" "My name is Felicia," she explained. "I am a shield painter, and the Marquis de Carabas sent me to you so I could learn magic. I'm not actually sure why, but I guess it's for the shield I'm painting." "The Marquis de Carabas." the magician pondered this for a moment. "Oh right. I remember now. Yes, I can teach you magic. It is a most interesting art form- yes it is an art form, no less than that painting you do. Now, come this way and I will show you to the rooms you may live in while you are my student, which may be for some time.incidentally, my name is Torin. Once you have put your things away and rested a bit, we shall begin our lessons. Oh, and you can put your horse behind the house, in the horse shed." Felicia followed him, smiling, into the rooms that were to be hers for the next few months.  
  
Her new room was bright, neat, and empty. All that it contained was a comfortable looking bed, a chest of drawers with a lamp it, a mirror, and a big window with glass and curtains that overlooked the small garden and the street; just then the moonlight (I bet you forgot it was nighttime) was pouring through it. Felicia decided it was perfect, and turned on the lamp. She sat down on the bed and began taking out and putting away the contents of her pack. There wasn't much in there. Her paints, sketchbook, a change of clothes, something furry- wait, something furry? There was not supposed to be something furry in that bag. Felicia lifted up the bag and turned it upside-down. A cat and a book fell out onto the bed. "Finally!" the cat looked at her petulantly. "I thought you were never going to let me out of the bag. (A/N: get it? hahaha) I've been in there all day." "What are you doing here!?" "Talking to you." "That's not what I meant and you know it." "I had nothing better to do." Felicia almost picked the cat up and threw him out the window, but realizing that it wouldn't do any good, picked up the book instead. "What's this? I know I didn't put any books in my bag." "I don't know," the cat replied. "It was there when I got in." "Well, that's very odd." Felicia tried to open the book, but it seemed to be stuck. It was a very nice book, made of good leather, but there was no title or author, or even any distinguishing marks. It was just a book. "I wonder if maybe the Marquis.? No, why would he put a book, particularly one that's unopenable in my bag? This doesn't make any sense. Maybe I should throw it out or sell it." But instead, she put it on top of the chest of drawers, and forgot about it.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Felicia, focus." Torin was a remarkably patient man (well, one has to be, to learn magic) and he had not yet had any problems with the slow pace Felicia was taking to learn magic. Felicia, on the other hand, was not at all satisfied with the little progress she had made in the past week. At least, she was not satisfied with her progress in magic; she had learnt her way around the city with remarkable speed. Going to the market was not a problem, and she was beginning to learn how to keep her bought goods and money with her as she returned to Torin's house. But the magic.take this lesson for instance. Torin was teaching Felicia how to change the color of an apple. When he bought the apple, it was green. After he had performed a short spell (and performance is key in magic) it had become red. Now Felicia was supposed to be turning it yellow, but it persisted in being a sneaky little orange color, which Torin said was good progress for a beginner, but didn't quite look right for an apple. "Torin, this is ridiculous! It would be faster to dye this stupid apple yellow! Even waiting for it to dry!" "But then, my dear, you could no longer eat it." Torin could see Felicia's frustration, though, so he added, "Why don't we take a break. You could use a rest, and maybe something to eat. Here, take the apple." Handing it to her, he gestured for Felicia to return to her room. Back in her room, Felicia sat down on the bed and stared at the apple. Why wouldn't it just be yellow? This shouldn't be so -ing hard (a prize for anyone who's not e. mouse who can say what that's from). She focused on the apple, picturing it a pleasant yellow color. Opening her eyes a bit, she saw that it was slowly changing from that unpleasant orange to a rather pretty blue. "AAAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHH." Felicia threw the apple as hard as she could out the window. "Ouch," said a voice in the street.  
  
~~~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ A/N: I would like to apologize for the crappy formatting, I hope to fix this in the future, I'm not quite sure what the problem in right now. 


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